Rashers wrote:

I am under no illusions that the filling station is getting more income from the groceries than my few quid of diesel thus we see Marks and Spencer food outlets breeding like the preverbial rabbits next to BP petrol stations everywhere.

gilarion wrote:

Rashers wrote:

I am under no illusions that the filling station is getting more income from the groceries than my few quid of diesel thus we see Marks and Spencer food outlets breeding like the preverbial rabbits next to BP petrol stations everywhere.

I have no problem with certain retail outlets opening on filling station forecourts, however, I do have a big problem with the people who fill up then leave their cars at the pump while they do their shopping in let’s say M&S at a BP filling station. This then causes a queue of cars to form at the pumps waiting for the said shoppers to choose their purchases, pack them, pay for them and then leave the store to return to their cars unaware of the chaos they have caused. Then to add insult to injury they then nonchalantly open the boot/hatch back while they load the shopping in. Grrrrr!

languedoc wrote:

I hate when I get to an ATM and the people in front of me seem to be doing their annual accounts.

Why do you have to take so long? We can all bank online so just use the damn thing for cash and get out of the way!!

French? On line anything, let alone banking? Are you serious man? Fallen over and bumped your head have we?

They are backward when it comes to banking. The number of times I hear people call into the branch to check their accounts beggars belief. Want to make a transfer over a few hundred euros when you have ample (ample, I tell you) in the account, can't be done without permission. Want to spend over 250€ in a week on your CC, with AMPLE funds in your account, mmmm, you'll have to get special dispensation for that 'Monsieur'....

Yet choose to pay for your shopping by cheque using your Carte Nationale for ID, fine, everyone does it. Well everyone in France and excluding the best part of the western world. Banal.

French retail banking is in the dark ages (Mrs Grenadier, ex banker, boo - hiss, regularly does her nut). Ironically, they've had chip 'n' pin since I was a student in '91. Go figure....  Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey

languedoc wrote:

You must have ropey banks in the Alps

My accounts all link through pc and an app. I can transfer any amount I need to including house purchases. I even get a text every Monday with balances.

Granted I've been with them for 15 years and pay €150 a month in charges!

The bloody cheque thing infuriates me. Waiting until everything is packed away to dig around for cheque book then do it again for ID. My wife laughs because she can see my trigger finger squeezing!

Don't get me wrong, we use Internet banking and it works. It's all the peripherals that are bonkers, and we're with Cred Ag. And our Manager is a legend. But I had a recent sale that put our cash balance into very comfortable numbers, yet when we wanted to go on holiday to Mexico, because I'd already spent a few grand on the flights and a few grand on the hotels, we had to get a second card (paid for of course) and then maximise its limit (only for the duration of the trip, not permanent) just to ensure we had enough cash to enjoy ourselves. It wouldn't have accounted for more than a few percent of the balance.

As far as payments/transfers are concerned, if you add a new payee at home on line, it takes three days for the person to be cleared and the first payment made. Do it in branch and it's instant. Why the difference? Same day transfer overseas? Not possible. The palava to buy Mrs Grenadier's car in Cologne was beyond silly. And when I was paid the substantial commission, I had to formally notify the bank, likewise when I took an amount out to send to the UK.

And note, as Mrs Gren asked, all this is company and government policy (Max limits on cards etc) not just 'local bank politics'.

But as Huttopia correctly points out, there is very little personal debt because of all this control. There'd be nothing worse than the nation be up sh**s creek and the population as well. Although looking at car dealerships and the mega French supermarkets, that seems to be changing with all manner of offers for that new 48" LCD. They're just 40 years behind us... Monsieur Le Grenadier

I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list.....

2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey